Officials say the number of visitors to Savannah increased from 12.4 million to 13 million between 2012 and 2013. Visit Savannah officials say tourist spending has also increased from just over $2 billion to $2.29 billion in the same time span.

Visit Savannah officials say the city also saw a modest increase in the lengths of visitors' stays and an increase in visitors using social media.

Visit Savannah chairman Jack Bussert says the city has been able to attract more conventions, younger visitors and more affluent visitors. He says the city is becoming a world-class destination to visit.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

Georgia agencies hosting veterans' career fair

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia Department of Corrections and the Georgia National Guard are teaming up to host a free career fair for military veterans.

Department officials say the veterans' career fair on June 26 is expected to feature several law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The fair is being hosted at the U.S. Army Reserve Center at Fort Gordon from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Officials from the Georgia Department of Corrections say the agency and others will be making on-the-spot job offers to some applicants.

CBS Atlanta reports (http://bit.ly/1lxdM8N) that the man was shot in the head and the side. Police say he was alert and conscious when he was taken to the hospital but later died. His name wasn't released.

Police are searching for a suspect.

Information from: WGCL-TV.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

1 man dead, 1 wounded in gunfire at truck facility

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta police say one person is dead and another critically injured after gunfire at a trucking facility in southwest Atlanta.

Atlanta police say the shooting -- which is believed to have been part of an attempted robbery -- happened around 11:30 p.m. Sunday at the business near Forest Park Road Southwest.

Police say that officers arrived to find a pick-up truck in the middle of the road with a man dead from apparent gunshot wounds in the passenger seat.

CBS Atlanta reports that police also found a younger man suffering from gunshot wounds around the corner on Rebel Forest Drive. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where his condition was unknown.

Police tell WSB-TV that security guards were involved in the shooting.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

Johns Creek residents object to 400-foot tower

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. (AP) — Residents of an Atlanta suburb are objecting to a proposed 400-foot tower that would be built to enhance emergency communications.

The tower is being proposed for a site in Johns Creek, near the St. Ives Country Club and Johns Creek High School.

Johns Creek residents say plans for the tower include a strobe light at the top to warn aircraft in the area. They say that if it's built, it would be the tallest structure in the city just northeast of Atlanta.

Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker tells WSB-TV that officials are still evaluating all options for enhancing public safety communications. The mayor says the current system is not working adequately and needs improvement.

The Johns Creek City Council was scheduled to discuss the tower at a Monday meeting.

Information from: WSB-TV.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

School bus drivers to rally over payroll issue

ATLANTA (AP) — School bus drivers, mechanics and other employees are planning to rally at the Atlanta Public Schools' payroll office after they say they've been shorted on pay.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said that some workers didn't receive any checks while others were missing almost all of their checks.

The union said the employees are now unable to pay mortgage and utility bills.

The school district said in a statement to WXIA-TV that the matter is an "isolated incident" and that the district is aware of some discrepancies in pay. They said adjustments would be made so that the employees are paid.

The workers are planning their protest for 9 a.m. Monday at 130 Trinity Ave. in Atlanta.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

Investigators seek cause of fire that killed 6

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Investigators are trying to determine what caused a Father's Day fire in New Jersey's largest city that claimed six lives.

Fifteen-year-old Stephan Sydney and his mother, Noreen "Michelle" Johnson, were killed, along with four others.

A relative told The Associated Press that Sydney and his mother were visiting from Crawford, Georgia, to remember his father who had died in a bicycle crash two years ago.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

Police shoot and kill bank robbery suspect

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say a bank robbery suspect was shot and killed by a police officer after a gun battle with Gwinnett County police.

WSB-TV reports that the shooting happened around 9 a.m. Monday at a Wells Fargo bank on Lawrenceville Highway near Bethesda Road, northeast of Atlanta.

Police said the officer was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Authorities said he is expected to recover from an undisclosed injury.

Few other details were immediately available.

WSB reported that Bethesda Church Road was closed between Lawrenceville Highway and Church Road as police continued their investigation.

Information from: WSB-TV.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

Pedestrian killed in I-85 hit-and-run in west Georgia

WEST POINT, Ga. (AP) — State troopers are investigating a deadly hit-and-run accident that left a pedestrian dead in west Georgia.

Officials say the crash happened around 2:45 a.m. Monday on Interstate 85 in Harris County, near the exit to West Point, Georgia.

The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports that the crash left the male pedestrian dead. No details about the victim were immediately available.

WTVM-TV reports that police were notified of the wreck when multiple calls came in that a car crashed into a tree. The body was found on the road near mile marker 1, near the tree. The area is just east of the Georgia-Alabama line.

The Harris County Coroner's Office was working to identify the victim. No details about him had been released as of Monday morning.

Police were searching for a suspect.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

Trial in FAMU hazing case pushed back to September

By Kyle Hightower, Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A judge has postponed until September the trial of five remaining defendants charged in the hazing death of a Florida A&M University drum major to allow defense attorneys more time to prepare.

Judge Renee Roche agreed during a hearing Monday to delay it the trial that was set to begin next week until Sept. 22. Attorneys for three defendants asked the judge for a continuance, citing difficulty taking depositions of potential prosecution witnesses.

Fifteen former band members were charged with manslaughter and hazing in the November 2011 death of Robert Champion of Decatur, Georgia. Seven accepted plea deals of community service and probation for what prosecutors called minor roles.

Jessie Baskin pleaded no contest and was sentenced to a year in jail in March.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

Georgia woman convicted of perjury out of prison

ATLANTA (AP) — A woman convicted of lying during the investigation of her husband's killing outside an Atlanta-area preschool was released from prison early Monday, Georgia officials say.

Sneiderman had served about 10 months in prison since she was sentenced in August to serve five years with credit for the year she had spent under house arrest while awaiting trial. Georgia Department of Corrections spokeswoman Gwendolyn Hogan tells The Associated Press that Andrea Sneiderman was released to family members after midnight.

Her husband, Rusty Sneiderman, was gunned down in November 2010 outside the preschool where he had just dropped off their son in Atlanta's northern suburbs. Andrea Sneiderman's boss, Hemy Neuman, was convicted in the killing but found to be mentally ill.

Prosecutors say Andrea Sneiderman lied to police and to a jury about a romantic relationship between her and Neuman. She has denied any such relationship.

A State Board of Pardons and Paroles document shows Sneiderman's parole runs through Aug. 21, 2017.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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